Traditional Christmas Gifts for Danish Children

Like children everywhere, Danish children get excited about Christmas presents. Growing up in Denmark, we certainly did! What often surprises Americans is when we open them.

In Denmark, the main Christmas celebration takes place on December 24. After Christmas dinner, the family gathers around the Christmas tree, holds hands, sings and dances around the tree, and then—finally—the presents are opened.

As a child, I enjoyed the dinner and the singing, but I was also very aware that the presents were waiting!

So what might you find under a Danish Christmas tree? Gifts have obviously changed over the years, but there are some that have been favourites with Danish children for generations.

LEGO

We have to start with LEGO. LEGO began in Billund, Denmark, in 1932, when Ole Kirk Kristiansen started making wooden toys. The name LEGO came from the Danish words leg godt, meaning “play well.” The plastic LEGO brick followed years later, and today it is difficult to imagine a more famous Danish toy.

LEGO has been a favourite Christmas gift for generations of Danish children. Small sets make great gifts for younger children, while the larger and more complicated sets can keep older children—and plenty of adults—busy for hours. Both my girls love playing with LEGOs. Ellie, who is in college, asked for LEGO last year for Christmas. There is something very Danish about a toy that lets you sit around a table and build something together.

Wooden Toys

Before LEGO became the Danish toy known around the world, wooden toys were common childhood gifts. Wooden trains, building blocks, pull toys, dollhouses, toy animals, and small vehicles could be played with for years and then handed down to a younger brother or sister. Denmark has a long tradition of simple Scandinavian design, and that can also be seen in children's toys. They don't need flashing lights or batteries to be fun. Give a child a box of blocks and see what they build.

Books

Books are another wonderful Christmas gift for Danish children, especially during those long winter evenings. Of course, Denmark has one of the world's most famous children's authors, Hans Christian Andersen. Stories such as The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor's New Clothes have been read to generations of children in Denmark and far beyond.

Books also make wonderful gifts because they often stay on the shelf long after the toy of the year has disappeared. Some eventually get passed on to the next generation.

Several years ago our family added a new tradition adapted from Iceland. On Christmas Eve, everyone is given a new book and a bar of chocolate. It has become a cherished tradition and very relaxing. 

Games, Cards and Puzzles

Board games, card games and puzzles are especially good Christmas gifts because Christmas in Denmark includes a lot of time gathered around the table. After dinner, during the days between Christmas and New Year, or on a cold winter afternoon, someone can pull out a game, and suddenly everyone is involved. Some families have favourites they play every year, while a new game under the Christmas tree gives everyone something new to try.

And if your family is anything like most families, there may also be a little friendly arguing over the rules! My grandparents would visit us from England and we would always play card games. 

Creative Gifts

Art supplies, craft kits, building sets, knitting or sewing projects, and other gifts that allow children to make something have also been popular.

Making things is already a big part of a Danish Christmas. Children make woven paper hearts, stars and decorations for the Christmas tree, so a gift that allows them to keep creating fits right in. It does not have to be an elaborate kit either. Good paper, pencils, paints, yarn or other basic craft supplies can keep a creative child busy for hours.

Something Warm

And then there are the practical presents. Denmark is cold in the winter, so sweaters, pajamas, slippers, hats, scarves, mittens and warm socks can all find their way under the Christmas tree. As a child, a pair of socks may not produce quite the same reaction as a LEGO set. I think most of us can understand that! But practical gifts have always been part of Christmas too.

Gifts for Getting Outside

Danish children don't stay inside all winter, so gifts that can be used outdoors are another possibility. Depending on the child and the weather, that might mean a bicycle, football, skates, sled or something else that gets them outside. Danish children grow up going outside in weather that might make some of us in America decide to stay home. Good winter clothing helps considerably!

Handmade Gifts

Some Christmas gifts don't come from a store at all. A knitted scarf, handmade doll clothes, something sewn, carved or created especially for a child can become a very special gift. I love gifts that have a story behind them. Years later, you may not remember every toy you received for Christmas, but you may still have something a grandmother knitted or a family member made especially for you.

Finally, It's Time to Open the Presents

The presents themselves are only one part of Christmas Eve in Denmark. First comes dinner, then dessert—often risalamande with the hidden almond—and then the family gathers around the Christmas tree. Everyone holds hands and sings while walking or dancing around the tree. In our family, my brothers, Kelvin and Jason, would eventually get us moving faster and faster until the rest of us were trying to keep up.

And then we opened the presents.

Danish children are no different from children anywhere else. We were excited to see what was under that wrapping paper, and I'm sure we all had things we were hoping to receive. I remember the excitement of the presents, but I also remember everything that surrounded them—the food, the songs, the Christmas tree, my family playing cards and all those traditions we repeated every year.

God Jul and be a blessing!

Kirstie